07 Dec 2011
Youth Cup and junior rowing
Every year New Zealand takes a team of under-21 rowers across the Tasman Sea to compete in Australia at the Australian Youth Cup. The New Zealanders race against Australian teams coming from seven of their states or territories.
For the first time in five years an Australian crew won the overall Youth Cup. In recent years New Zealand has always taken home the trophy. For 2009 Queensland State was the recipient, picking up the most overall points from the 2000m racing on the Sydney International Regatta Course. New Zealand finished fourth overall with Western Australia and Victoria in second and third respectively.
The event is designed so that each rower competes in a variety of events, so that two to three races in a day is normal. Each team has 12 open weight rowers, six lightweight rowers and two coxswains (the team is half males and half females). These rowers each compete in three events – one small boat, one big boat and the eight.
The Australian Youth Cup has been raced since 2002 and this is the first year that Sydney has hosted the event.
The next international junior event on the calendar is the Coupe de la Jeunesse. This regatta has been going since 1985 between 12 European countries (not including Germany) and in recent years Italy and Great Britain have been the most successful countries. Athletes must be 18 years or under to compete.
Starting on 31 July in Vichy, France, the Coupe de la Jeunesse gives a chance for the up-and-coming juniors that have not made their country’s junior national team to get international racing experience.
Vichy website: http://www.clubavironvichy.asso.fr/coupedelajeunesse2009/
And the junior season culminates in the World Rowing Junior Championships. Beginning on 5 August in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, this regatta will double as the qualification regatta for the first ever Youth Olympic Games to be held next year in Singapore.
Currently national teams are being finalised with the United States recently announcing a large squad competing in all 13 events.